What is life if there is not laughter?
Welcome to the lighter side of flyfishing! We welcome your stories here!

June 30th, 2003

A Carrot, Egg and Coffee Beans
Sent in by Andy Carr

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her
about her life and how things were so hard for
her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of
fighting and struggling. It seemed as one
problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled
three pots with water and placed each on a high
fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first
she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs,
and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She
let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.
She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a
bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what
do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the
carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.

She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After
pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter
smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then
asked. "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained
that each of these objects had faced the same
adversity--boiling water--but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However,
after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened
and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had
protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting
through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After
they were in the boiling water, they had changed
the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity
knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot,
an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and
adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but
changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but
after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some
other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does
my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter
and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes
the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the
pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the
fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean,
when things are at their worst, you get better
and change the situation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their
greatest do you elevate to another level? How do
you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg,
or a coffee bean?